Expert Top Pick of the Day: Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks
The fifteenth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones face another big test in the Big-12 when they travel to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the number-nine Jayhawks. One of these teams will take their second straight loss in conference play when it’s all over.
Both teams can afford to lose any more ground against conference opponents. The Cyclones are eighth with a 1-2 record in the Big-12, while the Jayhawks are in fourth place at 1-1.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks
- Date: Tuesday, January 11, 2022
- Time: 07:00 PM CST
- Location: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS
Iowa State Falls in the Rankings
The Cyclones have lost two of their last three games and are 13-2 on the season. On Saturday, they lost at Oklahoma 79-66, and their last victory came against the Texas Tech Red Raiders last Wednesday. After their most recent loss, they fell from eleventh to fifteenth in the latest AP Top-25 poll.
This season, the Cyclones are 13-2 and are led by Izaiah Brockington, who leads the team in scoring with 17 points per game. He’s also their leading rebounder, pulling down 8.1 per night. In addition, Tyrese Hunter leads them in assists per game with 4.8.
Both of these players need to have a solid game on Tuesday night if they hope to beat this powerful Jayhawks lineup. The team can’t afford to take another loss in the conference at this point in the season.
Iowa State averages 71.1 points per game, while Kansas is putting up 83.1. They also have the edge in rebounding, grabbing about one more per game than the Cyclones.
Kansas Needs This Win to Stay Close to Conference Lead
The Kansas Jayhawks are hoping to get their thirteenth win of the season in this matchup vs. the Cyclones. They also need to win if they want to stay near the top of the Big-12 standings. A win tonight would put them just one game behind the Baylor Bears, who lead with a 3-0 conference record.
The Jayhawks are coming into this game after taking a 75-67 defeat on Sunday vs. Texas Tech, who were without their two leading scorers because of injuries. The Red Raiders’ defense held Kansas 14 points under their season average.
Senior Ochai Agbaji led the Jayhawks with 24 points in the loss. He is also the team’s leading scorer, putting up 20.5 points per game.
Jalen Wilson added 20 points for Kansas in the loss. After this latest defeat, the team fell from sixth to ninth in the country in the AP Top-25.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas Jayhawks Odds Comparison
The Cyclones are 8-4 against the spread in their last 12 games, and the total has gone over in each of their last ten games on the road against Kansas. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, are 8-1-1 against the spread in their last ten games against Big-12 opponents. The total has gone over in 10 of their last 15 games as the favorite.
- DraftKings has Kansas at -675 on a spread of -11.5, and the game total is 141.
- FanDuel has Kansas at -710 on a spread of -11, and the total is 142.
- Caesars has Kansas at -700 on a spread of -11.5, and the total is 141.5.
Godds Pick or Prediction of the Game
The Jayhawks are heavily favored in this game and desperately need to win this crucial conference matchup. Iowa State will try to avoid taking the third loss in their last four games and falling further towards the bottom of the Big-12 standings.
Godds Pick/Prediction: Kansas wins, and the total goes over.